1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of footwear and more specifically to shoes having a uniquely configured sole with a large cavity filled with a gel material to provide added comfort.
2. Background Art
Cushion pad inserts made of highly viscous gel-type material are not new. These pads claim to add additional padding for the ball of the foot when it has thinned out. This thinning can be due to age, illness, or any one or more of many malformations of the foot. The pad provider claims to reduce pain and ease discomfort. The problem with an insert in some cases is that it reduces the space inside the shoe and in some cases can actually cause additional pressure against the ball of the foot, toes or problem areas due to this reduction of space. Most shoes are not designed to allow additional room for enough padding to make a difference, without causing the wearer to lose needed room for the foot. When a wearer is seeking additional padding, they are typically also dealing with conditions where the bones of the foot, from the arch to the toes, or the toes themselves, are deformed in some way. When adding padding and limiting the interior space of the front of the shoe, pressure on these distorted areas of the toes or bones which cannot lay straight or normal, can cause blisters from rubbing on the inside top of the shoe.
Other therapeutic shoes have used additional type inserts of cushioning material within the shoe or sole but the additional padding appears to be hidden somewhere deep within and the surface of the sole remains hard. The deep chamber of material in the present invention does not “bottom out” after many times of wearing and allows for the normal amount of room needed for the front of the foot. The deep cushion of this invention allows space while the deformed toes sink unrestricted upon stepping and is less likely to rub on the upper inside of the surface of the shoe.
Both those with foot problems, as well as those without, will benefit from this invention. The pure comfort of extreme padding in the front of the shoe without the possibility of bottoming out, creates a feeling of walking or running on pillows. For those that suffer from foot ailments such as calluses, hammer toe, bunions, bone spurs, thinning or destruction of the foot pad, this very thick padded area, allows enough room as the foot presses into the gel bearing the weight of the wearer, allowing support, but also providing enough room to alleviate pain.